Is Iran Getting More Liberal?

Every time we think that things are loosening up in Iran we read a story, such as the one in today’s New York Times, suggesting that this may not be the case. Article from NY TImes

The story tells of a young woman who has been jailed now for several months for trying to push the system beyond a point with which it seems willing to go. We feel that there is a tension in Iran today.

On the one hand, things are certainly more “liberal” under President Rouhani than they were under Ahmedinajad. On the other hand, we see stories such as the one cited above that make us feel that things are moving very rapidly. It may well be a case of one step forward and two steps back, or vice versa.

One thing is true – tourists will not see the formerly omnipresent morals police, who, not long ago, were on the streets making sure women did not display too much hair or commit other moral trespasses. Maybe they should turn the morals police into traffic cops to help the terrible Tehran traffic move more smoothly?

There does seem to be a tension in Iran between what we may call the liberal and conservative forces. We will have to wait and see which way things turn out. Hopefully, it will be the version of two steps forward in the liberal direction.